Huge U.S. holiday travel wave

An estimated 120 million people are expected to travel in the United States this Easter week, with Southern California routes and airports already bracing for heavy crowds. (nationaltoday.com) The San Diego Today report, published April 12, said Southern California travelers are concentrating on San Diego, Las Vegas, Anaheim, and national parks in California and Arizona. It also said congestion is building on the 405 Freeway as construction continues. (nationaltoday.com) Federal airport data shows how tight the system already is: the Transportation Security Administration screened 2,854,704 passengers on March 13, 2026, and 2,765,657 on March 15, 2026. The agency says checkpoint totals are updated each weekday and can lag during holiday periods. (tsa.gov) Southern California’s travel surge is falling into a well-established spring crunch for nearby parks. Joshua Tree National Park says it gets most of its visitors from October through May, with the busiest periods on weekends, holidays, and spring break from March to mid-April. (nps.gov) Joshua Tree says busy-season traffic brings long entrance lines, full parking lots, and campgrounds at capacity. Park officials advise visitors to arrive before 8 a.m., use the North or South entrances when possible, and avoid the busier West Entrance in the town of Joshua Tree. (nps.gov) Yosemite is also in its spring transition, with April bringing strong waterfall flows but road limits that can reshape itineraries. The National Park Service says Tioga Road and Glacier Point Road are closed in April, while Highways 41, 140, and 120 from the west remain open. (nps.gov) California transportation officials are steering drivers to live traffic maps, lane-closure lists, and regional cameras as conditions change. Caltrans and SoCal511 both have current traveler information pages for Southern California roads. (dot.ca.gov) (go511.com) The immediate test comes over the next several days, when millions of spring holiday trips will compete for the same freeways, terminals, and park entrances. In Southern California, that means the worst delays are likely to show up first on the roads out of Los Angeles. (nationaltoday.com)